Mach cone in a shallow granular layer
Soft Condensed Matter
2009-11-10 v1
Abstract
We study the V-shaped wake (Mach cone) formed by a cylindrical rod moving through a thin, vertically vibrated granular layer. The wake, analogous to a shock (hydraulic jump) in shallow water, appears for rod velocities v_R greater than a critical velocity c. We measure the half-angle, theta, of the wake as a function of v_R and layer depth, h. The angle satisfies the Mach relation, sin(theta)=c/v_R, where c=sqrt(gh), even for h as small as one particle diameter.
Cite
@article{arxiv.cond-mat/0409427,
title = {Mach cone in a shallow granular layer},
author = {Patrick Heil and E. C. Rericha and Daniel I. Goldman and Harry L. Swinney},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:cond-mat/0409427},
year = {2009}
}
Comments
4 pages 4 figures